Closer to the Land

Rav Ḥisda and Rav Hamnuna were seated at a meal, and dates and pomegranates were set before them. Rav Hamnuna took some dates and said a blessing over them. Said Rav Ḥisda to him: Does not the Master agree with what Rav Joseph, or as some say Rav Isaac, said: Whatever is mentioned earlier in this verse has precedence in the matter of benediction? — He replied: This (the date) comes second after the word 'Land' [eretz] and this (the pomegranate) comes fifth. [The verse referred to is Deuteronomy 8:8, where two lists are given of the products of the Land of Israel, each introduced with the word 'Land', and in the first pomegranates are mentioned fifth, while in the second honey (i.e., date honey) is mentioned second.]       Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 41b

            Rabbi Kook comments that love of the Holy Land is a foundation of Torah, as it brings the nation of God and the entire world closer to perfection, and for this reason, the Torah connects the blessings to the Land. Rav Hamnuna’s teaching that whatever is closer to the Land takes precedence can be understood to mean that whoever has a greater love for the Land and demonstrates the higher level of striving to settle the Land has the greater blessing and is closer to achieving perfection.

            There are different approaches to appreciating the Land: some love the Land for its precious qualities, and thirst “to take pleasure in her stones and love her dust” [Psalms 102:15] and to fulfill the mitzvot which are dependent upon the Land, appreciating the Land’s role in furthering the spiritual development of Israel and of the entire world. Others appreciate the Land simply as a place for the physical welfare of Klal Yisrael. While this latter approach is lofty, it does not attain the level of appreciating the spiritual aspect of the Land.

            Through the double use of “eretz”, the verse divides the seven species into groups of five and two, the group of five representing the higher level of yearning for the Land, while the two represent those who yearn for the Land only for nationalistic reasons. Rav Hamnuna thus teaches that even those who do not appreciate the spiritual aspect of the Land are worthy of great blessings. Indeed, our Sages taught [Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 102b] that Omri (King of Israel, who was an idolater) merited monarchy because he added a single city to the Land.